Photo by Joe Mazza; set model by Collette Pollard.
Caryl Churchill's Fen is ambitious. Entrenched in rich history, stunning language, and astonishing theatrical imagery, this is a production that is not just seen. It is felt. It invites audiences to engage with its ideas, rather than passively absorb them, and - as such - creates a uniquely satisfying theatrical experience.
Central to that experience are the design elements. The scenic and costume designs underscore where these characters are (both literally and figuratively), who they are, and why that matters. These design choices are, in part, what makes the story so visceral and impactful; they add another layer to Churchill's narrative and another way for audiences to connect with the story.
Here, scenic designer Collette Pollard and costume designer Izumi Inaba offer a behind-the-scenes look at their process and inspiration, and the design choices that bring this layer of storytelling to life. Let's take a look!
Scenic Design
Artwork by Chihara Shiota.
Collette: As a woman working on the production, it felt really important to look at other influential female artists, so that's where we started. One of the artists we looked at was Chihara Shiota. She uses fabric and a variety of common objects to create large-scale thread installations. These ghostly worlds explore and confront fundamental human concerns such as life, death and relationships.
Artwork by Linda Tegg.
Next, we looked at Linda Tegg. She is infinitely curious about the way humans interact with nature and the world and has a beautiful installation called Adjacent Field. She took inspiration from former industrial sites, places plants had started to reclaim. All the plants in the installation were sourced from abandoned fields on the outskirts of Milan. So it’s quite diverse - a fern here, an edible plant there - and that was really interesting to us, in terms of draining the land to grow crops and manufacturing. Plus, her work has this great quality of being very organic in spaces that are rigid and sparse, so that was exciting to us as well.
The work of Kamel Mennour was inspiring to us - we loved how her work poses the question of what’s beyond, and we loved the fonts that she used. And then finally, Isabelle Menin. She creates these paintings that are incredibly beautiful, but they come from so much personal pain. And that dynamic of beauty and pain is what the play itself feels like. This production will have a really tight color palette, and some of those colors are pulled from Menin’s work.
Painting by Isabelle Menin.Artwork by Kamel Mennour.
Continuing that thread of inspiration, we kept looking at factories and potato plants, and nothing was really working for us. We then looked at an image of a sluice, which is what was built to drain the fens of all their water, and it became really influential for us in terms of our design. The texture created when the water leaves from filling up and draining became the scenic texture for our world. History is a huge part of this piece - the cycles, the women, where we’re headed, the ghost in the beginning - so the water comes in, cycles out, and leaves behind this really beautiful coloring that almost feels like a painting.
Photo courtesy of Collette Pollard.Photo courtesy of Collette Pollard
The land itself is another huge part of the play. This play poses so many interesting challenges, like, How are the actors going to find the potatoes in the fields? How are they finding the rocks? This is still a work in progress for us, but what I can say is that we plan to use a carpet base and real dirt to allow for the picking, the farming, and its presence is underfoot all of the domestic work as well.
There’s also a tractor! It is a working 1950s tractor, so you’ll have a tractor that comes on stage. We’re really excited about that. [laughs]
We’ve had a lot of conversations about the tension that exists in gender, and how in this play, men have the power - literally, the engine power - and how important it is to juxtapose that against the women who’re on the ground, picking potatoes and onions on their knees.
In this piece, for us, everything has to be from Val’s point of view. When she sees something, the world of the play responds to her seeing something and discovering something, and we can convey that through the visual cues. So, the love story - when Frank and Val are dancing, we’re going to use a projection of the sky and stars, and the stars will move across the set, almost like a time lapse, representing how she feels in that moment.
The ghost boy: you’ll see a figure of the little boy run across, he’s chasing away crows, is an important part of the history of the Fens haunting the others. We’re playing with the idea of the boy being included in the pre-show and then there are little moments where we see ghosts throughout the rest of the play, and then another little moment, and another. The dignity of the ghosts in the play is important. We need to make them as real as possible so that we care about them, and projections will help tell that story.
Finally, flowers! We were looking at these huge, operatic flowers and thinking, How do we do this? Why would we do this? Should we even do this? Playing with the idea of that release, that pressure cooker that Vanessa has talked about, what would happen if it exploded? What would beauty look like in that world? Sadly, in draining the Fens, a lot of the natural wildflowers were killed, and a lot of them are now extinct, which relates to the women, Val, and the freedom of desire. The question of what the land might have looked like if we had left it alone. We’re working on building pipes throughout the set that push flowers through so they can “grow” by the end of the production. We've talked about flowers growing as the women enter, we talked about the flowers growing as the women transform into their new selves, and maybe the flowers trail behind them as they exit - we don’t know what works best yet, but we what we do know, is that every piece of this set is about creating a meaningful moment that support the women telling this story.
Costume Design
Izumi: The costumes of Fen are inspired by women working in fields across various time periods. My research wasn’t limited to the Fenlands in the 1980s, however. I looked at different geographical areas and made sure to pay special attention to the women and what they were wearing. Photographs by Sally Mann also provided further internal and emotional inspiration that guided my design process.
My process complements Collette’s; the costumes and the colors are designed to stand out in the environment that she’s creating for Fen. The women’s garments will be lived-in and worn, but they’re also from the 1980s, so they’ll be colorful and will stand out against the dark and harsh set. Each of the women will have practical farm gear - something that their characters would work in - that’ll be covered in dirt, but we’ll also get these pops of intense color that will contrast with the land. Putting these dramatically different looks together will set the natural, organic world in opposition to the industrialized world, the world of capitalism, in which these women are living and working.
There are a lot of characters in this play - all of the actors play multiple roles - so there are lots of costume changes accordingly. The most dramatic change, however, will be at the play’s conclusion. In that big moment, when Val makes her decision, the other female ensemble members will evolve into something beyond their ordinary selves; they’ll become more powerful and more beautiful. I’m thinking Loie Fuller, I’m thinking Lady Gaga. I think it will be a great transformation and a great surprise for the audience. I can’t wait.
Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba.Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba. Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba.Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba. Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba. Costume rendering by Izumi Inaba.
Fen runs from Feb 10, 2023 — Mar 05, 2023 and tickets are available now. Join us and see these stunning designs on stage!
I was riding in the car with my mother one afternoon—I could not have been more than twelve or thirteen at the time—when she asked me to open the glove compartment and take out the book inside. Without much explanation, she said, “It’s time for you to read this.”
My mother was a voracious reader who made us take good care of our books, so I held it like a gift, assuming the text held some necessary information crafted just for me. It would become a ritual between us for the better part of two decades. I would come home for a visit, and she would hand me a slightly worn book and say, “It’s time for you to read this.” My mother relied on these stories to impart the things she wanted me to know about becoming that she could not express. Eventually, without her prompt, I took on the habit of searching for meaning in the words of writers I admired myself. Now I live with the assurance that if I ever get lost, Zora Neale Hurston, or Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, or Gwendolyn Brooks will send for me, providing sustenance through their words. When people say that representation matters, this is what it means to me.
I learned through my mother and the writers she introduced me to, how important it is to have access to stories that represent lived experiences not unlike my own. I learned, from this ritual of passing stories down, how feeling seen and understood in those narratives is integral to the process of becoming who we are. Now, I carry the spirit of that same tradition whenever I walk into a room as a leader in the arts. I will always serve from a place of understanding that my real occupation is legacy work.
Sonia Sanchez by Jack Mitchell/Getty.
In my new role as the Director of Engagement, I am most energized by envisioning how we will deepen and grow the scope of our programs, not only in schools but with our peers and partners in the community. As part of my charge, I have the privilege of advancing the work that Ron OJ Parson began at Court as our visionary and beloved Resident Artist, including the Spotlight Reading Series. I wanted to begin with reimagining this series in particular because it’s all about legacy, shining a light on unsung Black writers to honor them, and passing their work down to the next generation. This coming spring, the Spotlight Reading Series will be celebrating the works of Sonia Sanchez, a personal hero of mine. It feels fitting to me that a pioneering woman—who was so central to the Black Arts Movement as an artist, activist, and a lifelong educator—would usher me into this next chapter of my work with Court Theatre.
Kamilah Rashied is the Director of Engagement at Court Theatre. Rashied is an arts administrator, producer, educator, and artist with 20 years of experience in cultural production, education, and community outreach. Cultivating a broad range of programs for the public, ranging from youth initiatives to live events and talks, Rashied has contributed to the development of new and ongoing programs at many venerable arts and culture organizations in Chicago including: the Art Institute of Chicago, the School at the Art Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Illinois Humanities, Arts Alliance Illinois, Rebuild Foundation, OTV (Open Television), Hyde Park Art Center, Young Chicago Authors, Writers Theatre, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, among others.
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Morgan Lavenstein, Genevieve VenJohnson, Elizabeth Laidlaw, and Lizzie Bourne by Michael Brosilow.
Check out these resources for academics, enthusiasts, educators to support your learning and viewing of Fen. We’re thrilled to offer them as a complement to our Student Matinee program, and we hope they enrich your experience of this production.
Background
Synopsis and Characters: Read a brief synopsis of Fen, meet the play’s characters, and learn about the casting that makes this production distinct.
Historical Background, Dramaturgy, and Design: Take a look at these texts and resources to explore the history behind Fen, its dramaturgy, and the design of Court Theatre’s production.
Activities
Discussion and Story-Land Activity: Consider how repurposing land—for good or for ill—reverberates through its inhabitants, community, and the land itself.
Pre-Show Journaling Activity: Reflect on themes from Fen through journaling prompts—suited for classrooms and continuous learners alike!
Post-Show Juxtaposition Activity: Use this classroom activity to unpack examples of juxtaposition in life, media, and Fen to more deeply understand the power of contrast.
"A Dark Beauty": Director Vanessa Stalling illuminates the force of Caryl Churchill's Fen and how the competing worlds, desires, and constraints create an enriching theatrical experience.
You Don't Own Me: Exploring the feelings, dreams, and desires of each character, this playlist offers a fun and engaging way to familiarize yourself with the themes of Caryl Churchill's Fen.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Please emailKate Wiseman, Education Programs Manager.
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Fen is a knotted web of connection, wherein each character is perpetually reacting to the world around them; they are constantly in relation to others. We, as the audience, are welcomed into their world, and are confronted with both the soaring rewards and crushing dangers of this closeness.
However, to state the obvious: these are characters played by real people. These people are reacting to the world around them, as much as their characters are. So how do those people perform this play safely, let alone perform it safely multiple times a week?
During the first rehearsal for Churchill’s Fen, Greg Geffrard and Sheryl Williams, Intimacy and Violence Directors, shared their insights, shedding light on the field of intimacy design and their process.
Intimacy and Violence Design
Greg: Something really big happened when the pandemic hit: a lot of theatre artists left the profession. And a lot of them have not come back. And the thing that I found myself telling people is, You cannot ask people to find their joy in the same place that they lost it.
Sheryl Williams and Greg Geffrard by Joe Mazza.
Prior to the pandemic, people were making art because it brought them joy, but a lot of these artists were working in environments that weren’t focused on their health or their sustainability, both as artists and as people. When the pandemic hit and these artists were forcibly removed from these harmful environments, people really saw - for maybe the first time - how they were being asked to work in unhealthy ways. Their value as an artist expired the moment their contracts did. At this moment, when things are starting to open up again, we see that a lot of artists haven’t returned because that compromise of art over health, art over everything, is not one they believe is worth it anymore.
That’s where intimacy work comes in. At its core, intimacy work is primarily focused on sustainability.
Sheryl: With me being an intimacy professional and a fight choreographer, I'm also trying to shift fight choreography to incorporate more sustainable practices. So it's not just about physical safety; I tie in my intimacy training by creating emotional and mental safeties around these moments. It's understanding that actors are asked to perform by leveraging their identities, while taking their reactive systems into account. It’s understanding what needs to be done, and done repeatedly, who’s affected by this action, but also who's performing that action.
Greg: Exactly. Intimacy focuses on cultivating space that is sustainable for everyone involved. The ask, when telling a character’s story, is not necessarily comfort: we call people into the theatre to witness characters navigate the most challenging moments of their fictitious lives in a very real way. How exactly can we help performers create, and find joy, and find a way back into the story that is repeatable for them, especially if we’re asking them to do eight shows a week? That is the ask.
To do this, we rely on five areas of focus: consent; boundaries, and the understanding that there's no story that can’t be told within somebody's boundaries; creating a de-loaded, or de-sexualized process; choreographing the work; then lastly, documenting it. That last piece can be literally writing down choreography, but it can also be tracking the things you’re processing and the things you’re holding onto when you leave rehearsal. These five best practices/areas of focus come from the pedagogy of Theatrical Intimacy Education, with whom I am an Associate Faculty member.
Sheryl Williams and Greg Geffrard by Joe Mazza.
Even though the field of intimacy choreography is new, these practices that I just outlined are really old. A lot of the practices and the tools that are used in intimacy work come from those whose identities have been marginalized; we’re talking about the LGBTQ+ plus community, we're talking about BIPOC folks/folks of the global majority, we're talking about sex workers, we're talking about anybody who needs to find a sustainable way of working. I’m thinking of Sydney Poitier, I’m thinking of Lena Horne. I'm thinking about individuals who are making art in spaces where they were, in the words of Shonda Rhimes, a “First. Only. Different.”
If part of your intersecting identity - your race, your gender, religion, ability - if any part of your intersecting identity is being leveraged in the story that is being told, it is very likely that there will be intimate moments, simply because what we're asking for is not just inherent in the character. We're asking you to bring a part of yourself to tell this story. And since you take your personal self back out of the room once you’ve finished telling the story, we need to make sure that we - as an institution - are taking care of our people. The characters only live in the space. They only come alive when the actors bring them to life.
We have to work in trauma-informed ways, because the stories and the traumas shown on stage are also the things we encounter once we leave the room, especially for folks with marginalized, intersecting identities outside of the dominate cultural identity of whiteness in America. Not everybody has the privilege of being able to distance themselves from certain stories, because those stories are their stories. And so this is work that is specifically focused on not taking care of,but taking care with the performers, which requires that they have advocacy tools to ask for their needs. Theatre can be abundant in resources: we must make sure that those who need those resources not only have access to these resources but are continually encouraged to understand that prioritizing the people in the process will always be valued over the final product we invite audiences to come witness.
Greg Geffrard has worked as an intimacy and violence designer throughout Chicago. Chicago credits include: Choir Boy (Steppenwolf, Intimacy & Fight Choreographer); Bald Sisters (Steppenwolf, Assistant Intimacy Choreographer); Passage (Remy Bumppo Theatre, Consultant); Bat Boy, The Amateurs,Detroit ‘67 (Columbia College Chicago); Gloria (Roosevelt University). Regional: The Color Purple (Signature); Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Huntington Theatre); White Noise (Studio Theatre, Assistant Intimacy Choreographer). Teaching: Theatrical Intimacy Education, Associate Faculty; Columbia College Chicago, Visiting Professor. Other: Resident Intimacy Consultant at Steppenwolf Theatre. Next up: The Factotum (Lyric Opera of Chicago) and The Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare).
Sheryl Williams is originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She has a BA in Musical Theater and a minor in Stage Combat from Columbia College Chicago, and has used her skills to create consent-based, story-driven choreography and sustainability in her work. In addition to working with multiple educational institutions, such as her alma mater, North Central, and Roosevelt, a few credits include: Cabaret (Porchlight), Little Women (First Folio), Among the Dead (Jackalope), The Wizards (Concrete Content), and many more. Find more information at iamsherylwilliams.com.
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Genevieve VenJohnson, Morgan Lavenstein, Alex Goodrich, and Lizzie Bourne by Michael Brosilow.
Use this classroom activity to unpack examples of juxtaposition in life, media, and Fen to more deeply understand the power of contrast.
Prepare to display the definition of juxtaposition.
Prepare to display one or more examples of juxtaposition from the list in step 2.
Please note:Fen includes themes of suicide, alcoholism, and racially and sexually offensive language.
This activity will take approximately 50 minutes.
Learning Sequence
Have students recall the definition of juxtaposition, or share the definition as needed. Offer students the idea of a rainbow as an example of juxtaposition: when two contrasting elements come together (rain and sun), some new meaning comes from that combination (a rainbow). (~4 minutes)
Juxtaposition (n): two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences and to create a new effect
Ask students to share examples of juxtaposition. They might be familiar with some of these examples. Consider displaying a few for students to support understanding. (~6 minutes)
Netflix’s Wednesday: Wednesday and Enid’s opposite aesthetics
Turning Red: Mei Lee's dual life as a human girl and a giant red panda
Shrek: the relationship between Donkey and the dragon
Before and After photos
Move students into small groups. Give each group a few minutes to brainstorm additional examples of juxtaposition on their Post-Show Analysis handout. They should think of examples from music, movies, television, literature, the news, nature, etc. (~5 minutes)
Once each group has a list of examples, have them select one they would like to analyze. Then, briefly review the questions on the Post-Show Analysis handout with students. (~5 minutes)
On its own, what does the first element represent?
What are the connotations associated with it?
What might be the audience’s response or experience of it?
On its own, what does the second element represent?
What are the connotations associated with it?
What might be the audience’s response or experience of it?
In what ways are the two elements opposite?
What is the effect of the contrast on the audience? What new meaning or understanding is created from this juxtaposition?
Release students to analyze their example. Once groups have completed this section of their handout, invite a few groups to share their ideas. Offer guidance and support as needed. (~10 minutes)
Direct students to the “Juxtaposition in Fen” section of their handout. Guide them to brainstorm examples of juxtaposition from the production of Fen. Have groups select a single example from their list to analyze. Then, prompt students to conduct their analysis. (~15 minutes)
Invite students to share their ideas with the class. (~5 minutes)
As an optional extension to this activity, consider having students do any of the following:
Create an artistic representation of an element of juxtaposition in Fen. Use markers, collage, digital rendering, or any medium you choose.
Write about your experience of the juxtaposition in Fen from your experience as an audience member. What did it make you think and feel?
Locate or create images that represent contrast of some sort, or choose two songs that might not be considered to “go” together. If you were to call this juxtaposition art, what would you name it? What would it mean to you or to an audience?
This activity aligns with the following standards:
Illinois Arts Learning Standards
Anchor Standard 8: Construct meaningful interpretations of artistic work.
Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA.RL.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA.RL.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Reflect on themes from Fen through journaling prompts—suited for classrooms and continuous learners alike!
Thematic Journaling Activity
Activity Preparation
Supplies
Paper and writing utensils
Set-Up
You may choose to engage students in one or more of the journal prompts listed. Consider allowing students to select a prompt to respond to, or incorporating some small group discussion following the writing prompt. Note that some of the prompts ask students to reflect in a very personal way; encourage but do not require students to share according to their comfort level.
It is recommended that teachers not require students to share their writing for a grade; ideally this activity serves as a personal reflection.
Please note: Fen includes themes of suicide, alcoholism, and racially and sexually offensive language.
This activity will take approximately 25 - 35 minutes.
Learning Sequence
Tell students that they will be engaging in a journaling activity around one or more prompts related to the themes and plot of Fen.
As needed, review with students the parameters of a free write: students should write as much as they can in the allotted time, focusing on their ideas rather than their grammar and organization. Encourage students to let their thoughts flow freely and write for the entire time. Remind students that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. (~3 minutes)
Display prompts listed below. Inform students of the amount of time they will have to write about the prompt(s). Then, release them to write. (~5 - 7 minutes per prompt)
One character, Val, wants her life to be different than it is. How do you want your life to be different—now, in 2 years, in 5 years, or in 10 years?
Fen features ghosts from the past who interact with characters in the present. In what ways does the past visit the present?
The play ends with a violent act of release for one character that has a ripple effect on many of the other characters in the play. How can one person’s choices impact those around them?
A central conflict in the play is the tension between obligation and desire. What is more important—happiness or duty?
Optionally, invite students to share a few of their ideas with the class or with a small group.
This activity aligns with the following standards:
Illinois Arts Learning Standards
Anchor Standard 8: Construct meaningful interpretations of artistic work.
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA.W10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
As you consider Fen, contemplate how repurposing land—for good or for ill—reverberates through its inhabitants, community, and the land itself. This activity intended for learners of all ages and could easily be adapted for a classroom setting.
What Are Fens?: Story-Land Discussion and Activity
What is a fen?This article by Fen’s dramaturg Derek Matson lays out a detailed understanding of this kind of landscape. In brief, it is a rich, wet, peat-filled land—imagine a swamp without trees growing out of it. In the United Kingdom, the fens were drained and sold, to be farmed by locals and profited from by speculators and eventually, corporations.
Caryl Churchill’s play was inspired by Mary Chamberlain’s book Fenwomen: A Portrait of Women in an English Village, which documented the lives and labor of women working on these British Fens in the 1970s. These fens are located about 70 miles north of London.
Map showing the Fen District in East Anglia.Photo of a fen; photo curtesy of the US Forest Preserve.Photo of a fen; photo curtesy of New Hampshire PBS.Map showing the Fen District in the United Kingdom.
Check out this video by the British Film Institute from 1945:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq4QanQGyjc
Discussion Questions:
How might the draining of the Fens in the UK have affected the local inhabitants?
What are some effects of governmental control of land? Consider both positive and negative consequences.
The fens were once swampy, and became farmland. What land are you familiar with that was once one thing, and was turned into another? How and why did this happen? How do you feel about it?
Story-Land Activity:
Imagine a piece of land that once existed in one way, but later became used for something else. You could be picturing a vacant lot, a city block, a park, a repurposed building, or a larger piece of land. (Think: This land was once ______, and it became ______.)
Now, imagine you were to create something—a play, story, poem, movie, tv show, music video—about or on this land. Consider the following questions:
What kind of story would you tell about this land?
What people or characters would be part of this story?
What would be the tone of the story? (examples: hopeful, devastated, weary, nostalgic, humorous, warm, etc.)
What kind of images might this story include?
If the land could speak, what would it say?
Imagine there are ghosts of or on this land. Who or what would they be?
In writing, an illustration, a PowerPoint, or a format of your choice, explain the story you would tell.
If you would write a story, movie, or tv show, consider outlining the characters and basic plot points, or writing a segment of dialogue.
If you would write a song or poem, consider actually writing it!
This activity aligns with the following standards:
Illinois Arts Learning Standards
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
This vocabulary activity will help students develop an understanding of the word juxtapose, which will then help them develop a deeper understanding of Caryl Churchill's Fen.
Morphemic Analysis
Activity Preparation
Supplies:
If students work in groups, provide each group with a whiteboard or chart paper and markers.
If students work in pairs, they can complete the activity on a sheet of paper.
Set-Up:
Determine whether students will work in pairs or in groups.
As desired, have the definition of juxtapose and juxtaposition ready to display after students complete their morphemic analysis.
If students have not worked with morphemic analysis before, explain to them that they will be breaking down a word to more deeply understand its roots, meaning, and related words.
This activity will take approximately 50 minutes.
Learning Sequence
Display the word juxtapose. Have students write the word on their paper or whiteboard.
Tell students that even if they know the meaning of the term already, today’s activity will deepen their understanding of the word juxtapose and how it relates to other words with similar roots. (~3 minutes)
Please note: If students do know what the word means, they can share it with their groups, but at this point in the activity, they should not share it aloud with the class.
Prompt students to divide the word into two, drawing a vertical line between juxta and pose. Then, have students list as many related words as they can beneath each word part.
Students are likely to be able to list a number of words under pose—words like suppose, propose, compose, oppose, position, expose, impose, superimpose, etc.
Students may struggle to find words related to juxta. They might be familiar with the word junta or the Spanish word juntos (together). If students cannot think of words related to this word part, inform them that they will still be able to examine word meaning and etymological relationships just through the root pose. (~10 minutes)
Invite students to share aloud the related words they wrote down. As desired, compile these into a class list. (~6 minutes)
Have students turn and talk:
Based on the list of related words, what is the meaning of the root pose?
If students are struggling in their thinking, prompt them to consider the meaning of the words oppose, opposite, and expose. Students should determine that the root word pose has to do with placement and positioning. (~7 minutes)
Have students turn and talk: Based on the list of related words, what is the meaning of the root juxta?
It is okay for students to be unsure about this root. Invite them to share their guesses. (~5 minutes)
Ask: Based on your understanding of the roots and any previous knowledge of the word, what is the definition of juxtapose? (~5 minutes)
Share or display the definition of the word juxtapose:
Juxtapose (v): to place to contrasting elements side by side or close together
Then, share and clarify the word juxtaposition, which is the noun form, and can specifically refer to a literary device.
Juxtaposition (n): two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences and to create a new effect
Invite students to share examples of juxtaposition they have encountered in their classes or in media. (~7 minutes)
If time allows, have students search words related to juxtaposition through similar meanings or etymologies. (~7 minutes)
This activity aligns with the following standards:
Illinois Arts Learning Standards
Anchor Standard 8: Construct meaningful interpretations of artistic work.
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
CCSS.ELA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA.L.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
The Feminism of Fen: Everything comes from somewhere! Learn about the source text that inspired Caryl Churchill's Fen, Mary Chamberlain's seminal work Fenwomen: A Portrait of Women in an English Village.
Dramaturgy
The Fenlands: Production Dramaturg Derek Matson provides an overview of the history and socioeconomic context surrounding FEN, while encouraging audiences to imagine a different, brighter future.
Theatre & Thought Series: In 2020, Court conducted a series of conversations regarding Caryl Churchill's Fen. Check out these discussions to deepen your knowledge of this ambitious, visceral production.
Britishisms: Explore this vocabulary list compiled by dramaturg Derek Matson. These definitions may help provide some context for regional and colloquial language in the fens.
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Elizabeth Laidlaw and Alex Goodrich by Michael Brosilow.
Explore this vocabulary list compiled by dramaturg Derek Matson. These definitions may help provide some context for regional and colloquial language in the fens.
Definitions
BUSINESSMAN: "Wild people. Fen tigers."
Fen tigers: Nickname given to the 17th-century laborers in the Fens who opposed the drainage of their land because it destroyed their natural fisheries. When this drainage network system was implemented, it led to the redistribution of the Fens to the wealthy land speculators who put up the cash for the drainage work to be carried out. The poorer people of the Fens rebelled against this land scheme by sabotaging the efforts of the rich, new owners of their lands by filling up ditches as they being created and by breaching dikes as they were being constructed.
MRS. HASSETT: "What’s the matter, Val? Took short?"
To take (a person) short: To have an urgent need to urinate or defecate (colloquial)
NELL: "He walked all day and it got real dark and he was frit as hell."
Frit: Frightened, terrified (dialect and colloquial)
NELL: "Then her husband came and said the pony trap was ready."
Pony trap: A small, two-wheeled carriage on springs (colloquial)
NELL: "Then he told my grandfather his missus had been having an affair with the chap from the next smallholding."
Smallholding: An agricultural holding smaller than a farm
SHIRLEY: "Same thing when I went into service."
To go into service: To enter into the condition of being a servant or of serving a master
GEOFFREY: "Those French sending rockets to the Argies, forgotten what we did for them I should think."
Argie: An Argentinian, frequently used in the context of the 1982 Anglo-Argentinian conflict over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (colloquial)
NELL: "You going to top yourself, Tewson, like that farmer over Chatteris?"
To top oneself: Originally, to put to death by hanging (“topsman” = a hangman); now usually, to die by suicide (slang)
IVY: "When they were dredging the mud out of the leat."
Leat: An artificial channel for the conveyance of water, especially for agricultural or industrial purposes
IVY: "Chased him with a besom."
Besom: An implement for sweeping, usually made of a bunch of broom, heather, birch, or other twigs bound together round a handle; a broom (pronounced BEE-zəm)
VAL: "I marked the place with a biro."
Biro: A particular make of ballpoint pen, named for its Hungarian inventor László Biró; also applied loosely to any ballpoint pen (pronounced BUY-roh)
VAL: "There’s the girl again, a long time ago when they believed in boggarts."
Boggarts: Apectre, goblin, or bogy; in dialectal use, esp. a local goblin or sprite supposed to “haunt” a particular gloomy spot, or scene of violence
Sources:
OED, The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1989.
Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. 18th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011.
Chamberlain, Mary. Fenwomen: A Portrait of Women in an English Village. Woodbridge, England: Full Circle, 2011.
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Productions - Page 3 of 20 - Court Theatre
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Scenic Designer Collette Pollard and Costume Designer Izumi Inaba shed light on the design choices that make FEN such a standout theatrical experience.
Director of Engagement, Kamilah Rashied, shares her personal connection to this year's reimagined Spotlight Reading Series, featuring the works of Sonia Sanchez.
Check out these resources for academics, enthusiasts, educators to support your learning and viewing of FEN. We’re thrilled to offer them as a complement to our Student Matinee program, and we hope they enrich your experience of this production.
Hear from FEN's Intimacy and Violence Directors, Greg Geffrard and Sheryl Williams, as they discuss their field, where it fits into this production, and helping people rediscover their joy.
Explore this vocabulary list for FEN compiled by dramaturg Derek Matson. These definitions may help provide some context for regional and colloquial language in the fens.